Strawberry Shortcake
by sesshomarusama33
Summary: AU. When a man walks into a coffee shop one morning, he doesn't expect to receive not only a sweet cake... but something more. **Done for Stella's AU challenge!**
1. Chapter 1

The sky roared as the clouds darkened, threatening depressing weather on what was announced to be a perfect Sunday morning. Inside a coffee shop on a Tokyo street was a young woman, humming her way through her morning routine as she did every day. Her long raven hair was nestled and wrapped into a pencil, and her eyes shimmered with mirth.

She set out the coffee grinds that were to be brewed on the counter, when a man with short black hair and dark brown eyes entered the cafe, holding a newspaper over his head in attempts to keep himself dry.

"Moshi Moshi!" she greeted, setting down the bag of coffee grinds and making her way to the sink, thoroughly washing her hands while reciting "Happy Birthday" in her mind as she did so.

The man said nothing as he approached the counter, a frown marring his porcelain face. He hated rainy weather - it only reminded him of darker days. His eyes narrowed as he watched the girl before him bounce with sheer delight as she hummed to herself, washing her hands with a practiced ease.

She turned off the water and reached for the paper towels, grabbing a few sheets and turning back to face the man, who was now standing at the counter. She noticed that as she got closer, the mans eyes seemed to change from a dark brown to an almost warm honey, and that something was different about him than most people.

She smiled politely at the man as she threw away the soiled paper towel, reaching in her hair to take the pencil that was nestled so messily inside of it and pulled a notebook out of her apron, proceeding to look at him with a warm smile.

"How may I help you?" He heard he asked, but he was too busy staring at her eyes. She had bright blue eyes that seemed to shimmer in the light, sparkling beautiful. Her dark raven her look marvelous as it was released from it's pencil-bound prison, falling in waves to frame around her face and curled to the middle of her back.

"Coffee. Black." Came his voice, deep and sultry, as his hand slid across the glass counter, a 100 yen underneath of it.

The woman wrote down his order and took his money, proceeding to input his order on the register. He walked away from the counter, taking a seat at a booth near the window. His eyes remained fixed on the outside world, but every so often they would linger towards the woman behind the counter.

Her movements were thoughtful and delicate, and her smile was stunning. She put the pencil behind her ear as she made to brew his coffee, humming to herself as she did. She had a soothig voice, he thought to himself. It reminded him of his mother - of when she used to sing him to sleep as a young boy.

Kagome busied herself as she set to brew his coffee, looking over to the man who sat by the window. His eyes were haunting, and seemed to have a hollowness to them. She could sense his distress and felt sadness in her heart. She frowned, unhappy at her guests depression.

She thought of something she might could do to cheer him up, but she doubted that he would take well to conversations. She looked around the cafe and put a finger to her chin thoughtfully as her eyes stuck the bakery case, an idea forming in her mind.

The sounds of her footsteps echoed through the empty cafe, the sound of her heels clacking louder and louder the closer she got. He did not make a move as she appeared, but the smell of something sweet got his attention.

"Here you are, sir. One coffee, black, and also your change." She smiled, placing a tray onto his table, which held his change and his coffee...

...and also a slice of strawberry shortcake.

He looked at the sweet with a thought of confusion. She had done well with the coffee and change, but why bring him something that he did not pay for?

"I did not order this." he stated, reaching for his change and coffee from the tray. She chuckled and pushed some of her hair behind her ear, closing her eyes softly.

"I know. I thought you could use something sweet to go with something so bitter." She smiled, refering to the black coffee he was drinking. She waited for him to take the cake from the tray so that she might have the tray.

He did not move for the plate, as she had somehow expected, and made to move it herself when his booming voice interrupted her.

"While it is appreciated, it is unnessacary."

She chuckled softly, but continued anyway.

"I'll tell you what. I'll just leave this here, and if you decide you want it, you can have it. If not, you may just leave it. Sound fair?"

She left no room for argument as a group of young adults entered the cafe, and she quickly left him and helped the hoarde of people coming in.

He sipped at his coffee and watched in awe as she glided through the kitchen. Her smile was genuine, even with the rudest client, and each person was treated with something different. She paid close attention to each person, and added her own personal touch.

The proof of this lay only a few inches away from him.

A light smile touched his lips as he picked up the fork she had left with him and nibbled the sweet, surprised when he found it quite to his liking.

Kagome hurriedly bustled about the kitchen, making frappe's and latte's, and serving freshly baked muffins from the bakery counter, all while trying to sneak a peek at her mysterious guest sitting alone. She never saw him leave, until everyone had left with their coffee's and sweets in hands.

She felt a great pang in her chest when she saw that he was not there anymore, and sighed with regret at not getting his name. She grabbed her cleaning towel and spray bottle and made her way to his table and gasped when she found a empty plate.

He had eaten the cake.

Every. Last. Crumb.

Next to the plate was a folded piece of parchment. She grabbed it, carefully unfolding it to reveal two beautifully written words.

_"Thank you."_

She held the note to her chest, sighing happily. He left no number - did not even leave his name.

She pocketed the note, smiling as she cleared his table.

She didn't need his name, for she had a feeling they'd meet again, soon.

* * *

Thank you to all those who read this! This was done for Miss Stella's AU challenge on Dokuga and had begged me to continue it! ^^


	2. Chapter 2

He sighed for the tenth time in the last hour as his paperwork had caught up with him. He read each document with careful eyes, avoiding any unnecessary transactions and bypassing all attempted scams. This was the job of one of the major heads in his father's company.

His coffee sat next to him, cold, as he had forgotten about it during his emergency board meeting that had been called earlier that afternoon. He looked to his watch, sighing again as he saw it was already past four. He had been here for far too long, yet he still had to finish his work - or it would be even more troublesome in the morning.

The smell of the coffee, even while cold, made his mind calm and his senses open. He needed to get another cup, and soon.

He reached for his phone, dialing the extension for his personal secretary's office. She did not pick up, and he hung up the phone in aggravation. Standing, he made his way out of his office and towards his secretary's cubicle, only to mentally slap himself.

Of course - she left at two.

Groaning in aggravation, he himself made his way towards the employee break room, making his way towards the coffee pot to sigh yet again as there was none left, and he did not know how to use this particular coffee pot.

He made his way back to his office, determined to get his coffee even more as he grabbed his jacket and scarf from the back of his personal closet, putting them on with fervor.

'I shall get this coffee, or it will be the death of me.' He internally told himself, locking his office door as he turned off the lights and left the office building, nodding his head the the security officer who was on the main floor.

"Are you leaving for the night, sir?" The man asked, hopefully, wanting desperately to go home.

"I will return momentarily." Sesshomaru sighed, running a hair through his short black hair.

Oh how he hated this human guise. Times had changed since he had been ruler. Still, he was on top and one of the most notorious businessman of Japan, but this title was a mere shadow compared to his title of Western Lord.

He looked to the human city with disgust. It was dirty, it smelt, and it was full of _humans. _He hated humans. They were weak and beneath him.

Thoughts of destroying this city with a flick of a wrist were put aside as he made his way towards the small coffee shop he had visited a few days ago, where the coffee was marvelous and their employees...

Tasteful.

He silently hoped she would be there. He might of hated humans, but this woman was... _different. _She gave him hope for humans, and for humanity.

She was as sweet as the cakes she made.

He never caught her name, he sighed regrettably. The woman who had eyes as blue as the bluest ocean and hair as dark as the midnight sky.

She had been on his mind since that day. She smelt of Strawberries and Peaches, a soft but sweet aroma. Her reiki added a spiciness to her aura, and he found himself intoxicated by it.

He reached the cafe, and frowned when he did not feel her particular aura there. Instead, there was a violet haired man who sat behind the counter, putting out a plate of freshly made Banana Nut muffins into the bake case.

"Welcome, sir! I am Miroku, may I help you?" He asked, a friendly smile on his face as he reached for a pad of paper and pencil.

She had done the same thing. He remembered watching those raven tendrils fall so beautifully to frame her face, curling around such an angelic body.

"Coffee. Black." He said curtly, handing him exact change. He did not want to stay here long when she wasn't here. He lingered whenever she was present in this small little cafe.

"Alright sir, it'll just be a moment." The man who had identified himself as Miroku said, pouring the black liquid into a disposable cup and placing the lid on it.

Sesshomaru reached for the cup when the man smiled at him, chuckling softly.

"It's a good thing you came in when you did. I'm terrible at making coffee, but Kagome-chan was kind enough to make some before she left."

Kagome... so that was her name? Such a sad name for such a beautiful woman, he thought to himself.

"Hn. This Sesshomaru finds her coffee... adequate." He admitted, sipping the dark coffee before leaving the cafe, feeling his mood lighten a little.

Miroku smiled as he watched the man leaving the cafe, and wondered to himself just what he was thinking when he saw him stop right outside of the door and stare at the cup in his hands, eyes softening slightly.

* * *

No SessKag Action on this chapter, but I don't want to rush it or anything.

Hope you enjoy it!


	3. Chapter 3

"Mom! I'm off to the grocery store! Do you need anything?" Kagome asked her mother, who was sitting on the couch in their small living room, working on a word find.

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine, dear. The food for dinner should be enough." Megumi smiled, taking off her glasses and standing up slowly, making her way to her daughter and bowing her head to her lightly. "Be safe, dear."

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be back soon - I promise." Kagome smiled, reaching forward to hug her mother gently. Megumi sighed softly into her daughters arms, reaching her hands to pat her raven tresses softly.

"I trust you, Kagome. Hurry back soon!" Megumi let her child go, her hand cupping her cheek gently. Kagome nodded her head, opening the shoji screen door and leaving the shrine, running down the street in direction towards the grocery store.

She collided with a tall body and fell to the concrete, grunting loudly as she did. Her hand went to her head as she let her legs fall the the ground, looking up slowly to blush at the man in front of her.

"G-gomen nasai!" She shouted, bowing her head repetively as she blushed scarlet red.

Sesshomaru raised a brow to her, before extending a hand to her. She stared at it, before smiling and taking it gently.

"Arigatou." She bowed, letting the man help her up. She bowed her head to him before apologizing once more, running in the direction of the grocery store as if nothing happened.

He stared at her as she ran, watching with curious eyes. She was wearing a school uniform. Was this the same woman who worked in the coffee shop he last visited?

She seemed to be in a hurry, he noted. He looked to his hand awkwardly. He could still feel the warmth from her hand in his. Her smell... strawberries and peaches...

It had to be her. He smiled softly, before walking in the same direction, wondering if she might remember him.

"Ah, Kagome-chan! It's been a long time!"

"Oh, Yuka! I haven't seen you since summer break!" Kagome smiled, hugging her best friend tightly as she tried not to crush the produce in her hands.

"It's been good! We moved though, so I had to switch to the Nakatomi district... I miss going to Shibuya with you and Eri!" Yuka cried, hugging her friend even tighter.

"Y...Yuka...Can't...breathe!" Kagome gasped, clenching her fingers as she tried desperately to get air into her lungs.

"Oh, Kagome! I'm sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength..." Yuka laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head before looking to the watch on her arm. "Oh my god, I can't believe it's that late already! I better get home! Sayonara, Kagome-chan!" Yuka cried, rushing out of the grocery store.

"Sayonara!" Kagome called, waving to her friend before looking to the clock hung above the produce section. She paled, not realising she had talking for so long with Yuka.

'It's not really her fault... I bumped into that guy, also.'

Images of the man from earlier flew into her mind as she tried recalling where she had seen him last.

"I... can't remember."

"Perhaps you hit your head when you fell." Came a deep voice from behind her, as a hand reached around her to grab a head of lettuce.

She turned around quickly, only to gasp as the man from earlier stood behind her, staring at her as he reached for the produce.

"Y-you! You're the guy I bumped into earlier!" Kagome shouted, pointing a finger at him as she held a hand up to her mouth in disbelief. Did he follow her here?!

He said nothing as he walked away from her, lettuce in hand as he made his way towards the cucumbers, observing before making his selection. Only the best produce would do, after all.

Kagome watched the man in awe. He was beautiful. Short, black hair and dark brown eyes... Wait, did they just turn...

Images of a man sitting in a cafe with a melancholy expression fluttered across her brain, and she felt like an idiot for not remembering him sooner. He was her strawberry shortcake!

"Strawberry!" She called out, following him as he continued picking out produce. He stopped, turning his head towards her. She stopped in her tracks, looking into now golden eyes.

"Your eyes..." she gasped, intoxicated by the warmth she felt from them. It was gone in a flash as he whipped his head back in front of him, walking away from the produce section and heading towards the meats.

He looked at the pre-processed food and sighed to himself. Things weren't like this before... He hated how humans lived these days. There was no honor in preparing food with ingredients grown and caught by the same hands.

Humans had no honor.

He had made a mistake in coming here. This human and he... it could not work. Humans were weak and powerless... yet...

There was something... different about this woman. She posessed holy mirth, whether she knew it or not.

She was far more superior than most humans.

"Strawberry? Are you alright?" Came her soft voice. He left his thoughts as he felt a slight tugging on his jacket. Looking down, he saw that the girl... that _Kagome _was standing next to him...

Smiling? Why was she smiling?

"You looked upset, so I thought I would-"

"Sesshomaru." His curt voice cut her off. She blinked in confusion at him. She scratched her head and laughed nervously, feeling like an idiot for not knowing what he was talking about.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked, feeling embarassed.

"My name. It's Sesshomaru, not Strawberry." He spoke again, turning his eyes towards her.

She gasped, watching as they turned gold once more. She felt something tingle in her stomach at the way he was looking at her. She couldn't place her finger on it...

...but there was definitely something _different _about this man.


	4. Chapter 4

_"Sesshomaru? That's a strange name. Are you sure that's what he said?_" Came the voice of Kagome's best friend, Yuka, as they chatted on the phone.

"Yeah, that's what he told me after I kept calling him Strawberry. Strawberry!" Kagome giggled, feeling kind of embarrassed at the thought of calling the stoic man such a silly name.

_"Oh Kagome, you're ridiculous! I bet he didn't like that at all!"_

"He didn't seem too upset about it, but there was something... different about him. I swear, Yuka, is eyes kept turning gold." Kagome recalled when he turned his towards her - remembering how they shimmered honey golden.

_**"NOW** you're being crazy. People's eyes just don't change a whole different color, Kagome!"_ Yuka argued, not believing her friends outrageous claims.

"I'm telling you, it was the truth!" Kagome promised, wanting so desperately for her friend to believe her.

_"If you say so, Kagome. Anyway, I got to get ready for school. I'll see you at the train station!"_ Yuka promised, saying her goodbyes. Kagome said hers as well and hung up the phone, looking to the clock and sighing. She turned her head when she heard her mewl, and smiled at the lazy neko as it lounged on her bed.

Walking over to her bed, she picked up the cat and put her face up to his, touching noses with the feline.

"You believe me, don't you, Buyo?" She asked, almost sighing in defeat when the cat turned his head away from her, kicking his legs slightly. She dropped the cat on the bed before flopping down next to it, laying her head on her arms. "You're just as bad as Yuka." Kagome sighed, rolling on her bed and staring up at the ceiling.

She saw his image on the ceiling, staring into a pair of golden eyes. What was so different about him? She seemed... smothered by his very presence.

"Kagome! Breakfast is ready!" her mother called, rousing the girl from her thoughts. Kagome sat up in her bed, grabbing her hair brush from her night stand and going over her overall appearance once more before she went downstairs, back pack in hand.

"Ohayoi," Kagome called, sitting at the table and putting her back next to her. Her mother smiled at her, handing her a plate and a pair of chopsticks.

"Ohayoi, Kagome. Did you sleep well?" She asked, pouring some tea for her daughter and son before pouring her own.

"I guess so." Kagome sighed, poking her omelet with her chopsticks. Buyo rolled next to her, mewling at her as he rubbed on her back as he begged for food. Kagome looked to the cat and sighed, putting the plate on the floor. "Here, Buyo. Eat."

"Kagome! That's not good manners!" Her mother chided, scolding her child as she fed her food to the cat.

"Gomen nasai, mom. I'm just not very hungry." She confessed, putting her elbow on the table and leaning her face into her hand.

"Kagome has a boyfriend, mom! I saw her run into him yesterday!" Souta yelled, pointing to his sister. Kagome immediately jumped right up, stepping into her brothers face.

"He's not my boyfriend, you little worm! He's just one of my customers!" She defended, blushing slightly as she did. Her mother looked to her daughter and put a hand up to her mouth, chuckling softly.

"Kagome, you need to let us know when you start dating. You must have our approval!" Came the voice of her grandfather, who had just walked into the home with a wad of talisman in his hands.

"Father, what on Earth are you up to now?" Megumi asked, watching as her father joined them at the table, setting the talisman down.

"There's a youkai lurking in our district! I could feel their youki yesterday afternoon. We must be cautious! Kagome, Souta, take these sacred talisman with you! Don't let them out of your-"

"No thanks, Grandpa!"

"I'm late for school!"

Both children were out of the door before he could retaliate, hanging his head in defeat.

"Oh Megumi, these children just don't listen to me!" Her father cried, slapping his hands to his face as he sobbed loudly.

"Don't worry, father. I'm sure Kagome can handle herself..." Megumi smiled to herself, clearing the table as she hummed to herself.

It was almost time.

* * *

"Don't forget your assignments, class! Your partners are to be picked tonight and the project is due Tuesday!" The teacherdismissed, shooing the children out of her class. Kagome picked up her textbooks and sighed, looking to the sheet their teacher had passed out to her.

"Sengoku Jidai? I don't know anything about that era!" She huffed, hanging her head in defeat. She heard a grunt from behind her and turned, looking to see a boy with long black hair tied and deep blue eyes smirking at her.

"Feh, you're gonna fail this assignment." He said, crossing his arms as the girl looked at him with awed eyes.

"What, like you know more than me about it? What do you know, smarty-pants?" Kagome huffed, poking her finger in his chest as he sneered down at her.

"A lot more than you do!" He argued, slapping his hand away from her.

"Oh yeah, prove it!" Kagome yelled, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't have to prove anything!" He growled, sticking his nose in the air.

"Inuyasha, since you seem so confident with your abilities, how about you partner up with Kagome!" Came their teachers voice, handing the boy an assignment paper as she left her classroom, leaving the two children to gape at each other.

"I guess we'd better make the best of this, then... Do you want to come over to my-"

"Feh, I ain't doing this stupid assignment. You're on your own!" Inuyasha huffed, throwing the paper on the ground and leaving the classroom. Kagome clenched her fists, picking up the paper.

"Inuyasha!" She yelled, trying to catch the boy before her left the school. She sighed, hanging her head in defeat. He must be in some sort of sport, because boy was he fast!

An idea formed in her brain as she looked to the thrown assignment with his name on it, making her way to the schools office.

She wasn't through with him, yet.

* * *

Sorry I didn't post this yesterday - Kind of slipped my mind! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Many thanks to my wonderful beta, Stella!

* * *

Kagome looked to the stack of papers in her arms, sighing with regret. She had only expected the discarded pamphlet from their History class, but she had been loaded with a whole stack about 3 inches high of nothing but un-finished homework.

'Great job, Kagome. Your brilliant plan was to bring him his one piece of homework so that he'd be forced to work with you, but instead you get all of this... junk. Way to go!' she mentally berated herself, sighing heavily.

"Well, there's no use complaining about it now..." she pulled out the sticky note that the school receptionist had given her, reading the wobbly kanji with some slight difficulty.

'There's no way that that jerk lives in Azabu!' She gaped, looking at the chicken scratch with a keen eye. She kept walking down the streets of Nakameguro, tilting her head upward as she watched the cherry blossom petals fall so prettily around her, ending up to pool on the ground. A blossom managed to fall off of one of the trees and drifted her way, landing on the stack of papers that she carried. She blinked her eyes a few times, but smiled and bent her head forward to smell the flower, sighing happily.

'Well... at least the walk to the train station will have a nice view.' She thought to herself, smiling as she continued on her way, thoughts about kicking the black-haired boy cast aside. Humming to herself, she settled her mind back on the mysterious man that she had kept running into.

'Sesshomaru is a pretty strange name... who would name their child "The Killing Perfection?" That's more of a name for a samurai or something, not a business man... Hm, I wonder if he lives in Azabu, too. Maybe on my way there we'll mysteriously bump into each other, and he'll catch me in his arms and we'll look into each others' eyes... then we'll kiss, and fireworks will burst from the background.'

Now sitting on the train, she plopped her head to her pile of papers, groaning as she did so. There was no way that would happen - that was just a fairy-tale - and fairy-tales didn't exist. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why he had given her his name. Was it just because she kept calling him Strawberry? Did he actually intend on talking to her again?

It wouldn't matter - he didn't even know her name. He left right after he had told her his name, not saying anything else. He kept to himself, she noticed. He wasn't one to just randomly open up to a stranger.

She hardly knew anything about him, yet here she was... daydreaming about some strange guy that she had just met!

'I still can't... I've never met anyone quite like him. I mean, yeah, he's quiet and kind of cold hearted... but he's just got something about him... I feel pulled in when I'm near him. Woah, get a hold of yourself, Kagome! He's probably like 30, and you're only 17! I shouldn't even be thinking about him right now!

"Next stop - Azabu District." the gargled voice came from the speaker, alerting Kagome to pay attention.

'Well, here goes nothing. With me bringing his assignment, he'll be forced to start working on it with me. Hopefully, his parents will be home, too, so that they can kick his butt in gear! That'd be awesome!' She grinned, almost cackling as she thought of Inuyasha getting scolded by his parents.

'I wonder what his house looks like... what his parents look like? Does he have any siblings? I'm kind of nervous all of a sudden... oh god, this was a stupid idea! No backing out now... here it goes!' she jumped from her seat, clearing through the hoard of people leaving the train in an attempt to get out first. If she stayed on the train any longer, she would have been tempted to just go home and forget this had ever happened.

Once she had left the train, she pulled the paper back out and stared at the directions. She wasn't too familar with the Azabu distric, living in Shibuya herself. She looked around, trying to see if she could find someone who looked like they would give her decent directions to the street she was looking for, but sighed when all she saw were angry looking businessmen.

'Great... guess I'm on my own.' She frowned, looking around her to try and find some sort of district map that might at least point her to the right direction. To her delight, just to the left near a set of public restrooms was a giant tourist map, and so she made her way towards it in hopes of finding the right location.

She stared at the map long and hard, spotting the giant red 'you are here' dot, and then looking back to the paper with the street address on it.

'Let's see... that's three blocks from here. I guess I'd better get walking then.' She murmured, pulling out her cell phone to take a picture of the map - in case she forgot the directions to the street.

She started walking in the direction of Inuyasha's house, quietly thinking to herself.

'What if he just kicks me out? He might not even let me in! Great thinking, Kagome, you're such a genius!' She hit her head with the stack of papers, regretting her decision. If his parents answered the door though, they'd be sure to let her in with his school-work! This was a foolproof plan!Kagome straightened herself, more determined than ever to deliver the rude boy's homework, and also get started on their project.

She grinned as she thought about torturing the boy for what he had said earlier - she would make sure that his half of the project was significantly larger than hers, and that they were the harder parts, too.

Once she had gotten on the correct street, she stopped walking. Slowly lowering her head, she peered down to the sticky-note, staring at the numbered address. She shifted her head from one direction to the other, looking for that address.

She couldn't help but turn green with envy as she took in all of the fine details of Azabu; neatly mowed lawns, artfully decorated hedges and pathways that lead to stain glassed doors. Each home had an expensive looking car parked in the driveway, and the fact that these were homes, and how spaced apart they were spoke of how rich these people must be.

"His family must be loaded. Maybe his dad is in the Yakuza..." She spoke softly, pondering the thought of Inuyasha being the son of a famous Yakuza lord.

She could see it. In fact, it would account for his cocky attitude and how he treated everyone around him. She paled as she realized the weight of her deductions - did that mean she was visiting the Yakuza leaders' son?!

'Oh god... it's supposed to be right here, or at least that's what the receptionist said...' she looked from her paper up directly in front of her into a beautiful...

Dead... end...

She fell to her knees, groaning in desperation. This was where she was supposed to go! There wasn't a house here, though! Looking up, she saw a thicket of wood where the supposed house was supposed to be, and stepped forward towards it, feeling something familiar calling her.

'This is...' she spoke softly, feeling herself pulled to the thicket, wincing as she realized that she had cut her knee on the asphalt when she fell. She looked to the road rash on her knee, but ignored it as she continued forward, pushing through branches and avoiding bushes as she kept walking. She looked forward and saw a beautiful garden, full of lilies - and in the middle of that garden was a boy with long black hair, staring longingly at the flowers.

'Why is that boy sitting here?' she asked herself, moving towards the boy, who seemed to perk up when she neared, as if he had heard her.

"Oi! What are you... Kagome? What are you doing here?!" The boy asked, obviously shocked at her appearance there. As she neared him, she tried to think of where she had heard that voice before...

"Inuyasha? Why are you here?" She asked, forgetting momentarily her complete reason for coming here.

"Feh! I _live _here!" He yelled, pointing a hand to a giant house to their left. Kagome turned her head towards where he was pointing, only to gasp loudly at the sight of the beautiful home.

"Oh my god! You LIVE here?!" Kagome gasped, putting a hand to her lips as she tried to contain her excitement.

"Yeah? So?" Inuyasha sneered, crossing his arms as he tilted his head upward to the left, closing his eyes at the girl before him.

"Wow! I want to see it!" She grinned, moving her feet towards the house. She was stopped as a hand came out and grabber her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"You can't go up there!" Inuyasha yelled, forcing her back and away from the house.

"Why not? Are you hiding something?" Kagome inquired, trying to look over Inuyasha's shoulder to see the house, but his dark hair was getting in the way of her view.

"Feh, it's none of your business!"

"Inuyasha! Your homework -"

"I can take it! I don't need you delivering it to that bastard!" Inuyasha yelled, even more determined to get the girl away from them now.

"...from what bastard?" Kagome grinned, having pried into Inuyasha's mind a little. He groaned, letting her arm go as he plopped to the grown, sitting with his knees propped up.

"It ain't none of your business, Kagome. Go home." Inuyasha sulked, making a sour face as he caressed some of the lilies in the garden, his eyes softening as he did so. Kagome noticed this, and took careful attention to remember this for a later date.

"Well, Inuyasha... if you're not going to tell me... I'm gonna have to go find out!" She giggled, running over to the house as she laughed merrily.

"Kagome, wait!" Inuyasha yelled, running after her. He kept calling her name, trying to warn her, but she was too busy laughing to even care about his warnings.

She reached the house and turned to face him, sticking her tongue out at him as he caught up with her, soon he froze in his place and stared behind her, glaring heavily at something.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong with..." she turned, only to bump nose to chest with a tall man wearing a black kimono, the lapels parted just slightly to reveal a very sculpted ivory chest.

"Gomenasai..." she breathed, too embarrassed to look at the man directly, opting to look down at her shoes. She stared at a leaf of grass that had clung to her shoe, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks as she was sure she was blushing several shades of red.

"Hn... you have a habit of running into this one, girl." A deep voice broke through, rousing her from the staring competition between her and the tiny specks of dirt on her shoes. As soon as she heard that voice, she tilted her head upward, staring at the man before her with surprised eyes.

"Sesshomaru...? You're_... you're _Inuyasha's dad?!"

* * *

Sorry for the delay in updates - between working and getting things set up between beta's, life has been a little crazy. Hope you enjoy this slightly longer chapter! ^^


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to my wonderful beta, Stella!

* * *

She was staring.

The girl that had been haunting his mind for days to no end… was sitting in his living room, right across from him…

…and she was staring at him.

Her scent was in his home. Now his house would smell of strawberries and peaches.

She needed to leave.

"I can't believe you're Inuyasha's dad! I mean… You look similar, sure, but… I just never thought-"

"You do not know anything about me." Sesshomaru stated. It wasn't a lie - the only thing she really knew about him was his name, and that he liked coffee.

Other than that, he was a complete stranger.

"I guess that's true." She responded, putting a finger to her chin as she thought hard about something. He stared at her as she did this. He couldn't help but think how adorable her brows looked when they were arched into her bangs as she was deep in thought.

"You know my name. What can you deduct from that?" He asked, curious as to what the girl thought he liked. She seemed to think hard about this, and then her expression changed.

"I know! You're into swords!" She beamed, tilting her head to one side as her smile overcrowded her face.

His expression did not falter, but he was a bit impressed. So, she took his literal translation and picked something similar to it.

"This Sesshomaru is quite fond of Kendo." He admitted, his eyes lingering towards the wall to their left. Kagome shifted her gaze to follow his and gasped when she saw two swords hanging on the wall, in perfect condition.

"Oh my god! Can you actually handle a sword?" She asked, jumping to her feet to run over to the swords, admiring their beauty, but not daring to touch them.

"I can." He said, approaching slowly behind her, his tall frame towering over hers as his arms lifted, reaching towards one of the swords on the wall.

Kagome gasped softly as his masculine scent enveloped her. The scent of dirt, roses, and wine… such a deep, earthly smell. She could feel the heat from his body and heat flooded her cheeks as she blushed deeply.

"This," he started, lifting a sword from the mantle, "is Tenseiga. It is rumored to be the Sword of Heaven, able to bring back souls from the dead." His arms were wrapped around her as his hands held the sword, the sound of metal hissing as it was released from it's sheath.

"Wow…" she breathed, admiring the beauty of the sword as polished silver met her eyes. "Tenseiga…" She gasped, marveling at the sword.

Sesshomaru felt the Tenseiga pulse in his grasp, his eyes widening as it did. Tenseiga hadn't spoken for ages… what could it possibly want now?

"Tenseiga…" he heard her whisper, and watched as she stared in awe at the sword. She was absolutely fascinated with it… more than any person he had ever shown it to.

Come to think of it, why did he show it to her?

It pulsed again as she called its name, causing Sesshomaru to almost drop the sword. There was no way…

"Oi! I leave for one minute and you're trying to seduce her?! Get the hell away from her!" Came Inuyasha's voice, loud and angry as usual. After their confrontation earlier, he had left in a fit of rage, leaving the two of them alone.

Where had _he _been all this time?!


	7. Chapter 7

Oh stella, I would die without you! Thank you for being an amazing beta!

* * *

"So… you're not his dad?" Kagome asked, feeling a bit confused as Inuyasha yelled in her ear.

"Hell no!" Inuyasha grumbled, flopping on the living room couch, crossing his arms as he did. He felt insulted! The nerve of that girl, honestly!

"Watch your language, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. Did his brother have to overreact in such a manner?

"He's my half-brother." Inuyasha spat, tilting his head away from his brother in disgust. Kagome laughed nervous, scratching the back of her head.

'Talk about sibling rivalry…' she thought, closing her eyes as she tried not to make eye contact with either one of them.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. You two do look similar." She responded, now noticing the similarities between the two. Their facial structure seemed very identical, minus their noses and brow structure. Inuyasha's brows were a lot bushier than Sesshomaru's, while Sesshomaru's were thin and elegantly shaped.

Sesshomaru's nose was longer, but not in the obtuse sense. It was more aristocratic, while Inuyasha's was kind of stubby. Other than that, she would have easily said that they were father and son.

"I don't look nothing like that prick!" Inuyasha defended, his brow twitching in annoyance.

"Inuyasha, don't call your brother that!" Kagome scolded, feeling bad for his older brother. Did he really have to put up with this every day? The poor guy!

"Feh, as far as I'm concerned, he ain't no brother of mine!"

"Likewise." Came Sesshomaru's deep baritone. Kagome found herself turning in shock, not believing what she had just heard.

Just what in the world had happened between these two to get them so riled up at each other? Here she was, feeling bad for Sesshomaru… when he was just as bad!

"Uh, so… about that project?" Kagome mentioned, trying to direct the conversation away from what seemed was going to be an all out fist fight.

"Feh, what about it? I told ya, I ain't doin' it." Inuyasha said, standing up and walking towards his bedroom, shutting the door. Kagome huffed, falling back down on the couch, face-palming her head.

"What am I going to do? I don't know anything about the Sengoku Jidai…" She sighed. Well, her whole plan was to get Inuyasha's parents' to force him to do his assignment… peeking over to his half-brother, she saw that that plan had failed miserably.

"Sengoku Jidai? Is that what your assignment is about?" Came the timber of the male sitting across from her, whose legs were crossed as a hand propped on his knee, holding his head in place. Kagome nodded her head, not feeling the need to straighten herself.

"Uh-huh. Our teacher paired us up together because I don't know anything about that era, and Inuyasha blabbed on and on about knowing all about it, but now even he won't help me… this assignment is due Monday!" She groaned. There was no way she was going to get all of the information she needed by then, not with her other home-work piled up!

"Interesting… This one will help you."

Kagome shot straight up, staring at him in disbelief. Seriously?! That's all she had to do?!

"Are you serious? You know about the Sengoku Jidai?" She asked, thankful to have somebody help her!

"I do." He chuckled. If only she knew…

"I'll treat you to free coffee for a month if you'd help me! Please!" She begged, jumping from the couch to land on the hardwood floor, kneeling before him as she bowed her head.

He took his index finger and stretched it towards her, curling her ebony tresses between his fingers. She raised her head, gasping softly as she gazed into his eyes. It was happening again… they were turning gold!

"We have a deal then… Kagome."

She almost fainted from the smile he directed towards her. What had she just agreed to?!


	8. Chapter 8

A thousand thanks to my awesome beta, Stella!

* * *

"Caramel Macchiato!" Kagome called, setting the hot beverage on the counter as she smiled to the customer. She smiled back, taking the coffee and walking out of the shop.

"Another satisfied customer. Well done, Kagome!" Her boss, Miroku, praised, patting the girl on the back.

"Miroku, we talked about this." Kagome said, her brow twitching as his hand slid further down her spin.

"Why, Kagome, I don't know what you're talking about!" The man laughed nervously, his hand stopping on the middle of her back.

Kagome rolled her eyes, taking a wet rag and wiping spilt coffee from the counter top.

"Just because you're my boss doesn't mean I won't hit you, lecher. We did grow up together before you started this shop." Kagome reminded him, taking the rag to the sink and wringing out the soiled coffee from it.

"All the more reason for you to trust me!" Miroku returned, looking to his childhood friend with an expression full of mock hurt.

"So that's what you think!" Kagome said, laughing softly at the ridiculous comment.

"Kagome, I'm hurt that you don't trust me!" Miroku sighed, reaching into the bake case to pull out a cupcake that Kagome had made earlier.

"Hey! Those are for the customers!" Kagome lectured, snatching the treat from his hands. Miroku frowned, but let the girl put the treat back into the case.

"You do your job too well. I should give you a raise." Miroku mused aloud aloud, putting a finger to his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, you should! You're not gonna, though, so why even-"

"So," Miroku interrupted, changing the subject, "I hear you're breaking hearts again." He grinned, watching as her face twisted in confusion.

"What? Where did that come from, and what are you even talking about?" Kagome asked, scratching her head as she stared at him.

"He's much older than you, though, and probably has a wife and child at home. Don't tell me you're trying to be a home wrecker, Kagome!" Miroku said, his eyes brightening at the idea of a scandal.

"Whatever! I'm not even dating anyone, or romantically inclined to anyone, so I know you must be making it up!" Kagome huffed, annoyed at the lecherous ideas that were stuck in that head of his.

"Hm, that's odd. I wonder why he seemed pleased when I mentioned your name. Perhaps he was mistaken?" Miroku said, curious if he had been wrong in assuming that there was something going on between the two.

"He must have been…" Kagome whispered, talking to herself more than to her boss. Her thoughts drifted to the man with shimmering honey gold eyes.

'Sesshomaru?'

Could he have been here, looking for her? Her pulse quickened as her face flushed at the idea of a gorgeous male such as Sesshomaru, searching for a girl like her. It was every woman's dream!

Miroku looked over to the girl, noticing her flushed face, and grinned. Oh, that naughty minx!

"So I was right! You're dating an older man, aren't you?"

"W-what? No! He's just… a friend." She stuttered, not sure what to call him exactly. Was he a friend? She didn't know much about him…

…but come to think of it, she wondered if anyone other than his brother knew much about him.

Did that mean she could call him a friend?

* * *

I have been addicted to caramel macchiato's for the last week and a half now, lol.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you to Stella for beta-ing this for me!

* * *

"Kagome, are you going to the convention next weekend?" Yuka asked, hooking her arm between Kagome's as they walked down the halls of their high school.

"Oh, the cosplay convention? I was thinking about it… I don't know who to go as, though." Kagome admitted. She absolutely loved anime and manga, and had so many characters to choose from.

"Well a bunch of the girls are going as a group of fighter school girls! You want to join our group?" Yuka asked, hoping Kagome would agree to it.

"No way! If I cosplay, I want to go as something completely different than what I look like…" Kagome pondered, trying to think of who she could dress up as if she went.

"Well that ruins our plans to cosplay as a group. Thanks a lot, Kagome!" Yuka frowned, sticking her tongue out at the other girl.

"Hey! It's not my fault I want to do something different." Kagome argued, pointing her nose in the air as she tried to ignore her friends' cries.

"Well then, who do you want to cosplay as?" Yuka asked, nudging her friend in her ribs gently.

"Well," Kagome started, releasing her arm so she could open her locker, "Someone who's mysterious… but silly… doesn't wear something completely skimpy, and who is gorgeous!" Kagome swooned, pulling a book out of her locker while replacing it with another.

Yuka thought about it for a moment, grinning as she came up with the perfect character.

"I'll tell you what! I've got the perfect outfit for you to wear! Just leave it all to me!" Yuka winked to her friend, before darting to her next class, leaving Kagome at her locker with a confused expression.

"Yuka! Who is it?!" Kagome called, sighing as Yuka had already turned a corner. She shut her locker, shrieking when the brash boy from her History class leaned against the locker.

"Oi, don't scream so loud! You're hurting my ears!" He yelled, his hands flying to the sides of his head.

"You jerk! You scared me!" Kagome argued, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at him with hateful eyes.

"Feh, you shouldn't be so easily scared, then! Ain't my fault!" He said, proving that he was obviously in the right.

"You know what? I don't have time for this, Inuyasha. I'm late for Algebra." Kagome huffed, turning away from him and walking towards her classroom.

"Oi! Wait a second! What about our project?!" Inuyasha hollered, running after her.

"Now you're interested in that silly thing? Whatever changed your mood about it?" She asked, curious as to why he suddenly wanted to help.

"Feh. Teacher said if I didn't participate that she'd flunk me. I ain't gotta choice in the matter." He mumbled, not too pleased with the current situation.

Kagome grinned, determined to get revenge on the rude boy.

"Well as tempting as your offer sounds, I must decline. I already have a partner." Kagome replied, her nose in the air as she tried to act as posh she could.

Inuyasha's brow twitched at the girl. How in the hell did she get another partner without his teacher knowing…?

"Oh yeah? Who?" Inuyasha asked, a bit curious as to who she could have partnered up with.

"Your brother." She retorted, giving him no time to respond as she walked right into her classroom, shutting the door.

Her face broke into an evil smirk as she heard his hollered response from inside the room.


End file.
